Editing Lincoln–Douglas debate format (section)

== Format ==
The following is the basic debate format. Each side has 4 minutes of preparation time they can distribute among the two prep time periods assigned to them.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Halvorson |first=Seth |url=https://www.speechanddebate.org/wp-content/uploads/Lincoln-Douglas-Debate-Textbook.pdf |title=LINCOLN-DOUGLAS DEBATE |publisher=NATIONAL SPEECH & DEBATE ASSOCIATION |year=2013 |pages=74–75}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Stage
! Time (minutes)
! Abbreviation
! Description
|-
| Affirmative Constructive
| 6
| AC (or 1AC)
| The Affirmative (always) reads a pre-written case, outlining why the resolution is valid.
|-
| Cross Examination
| 3
| CX
| The Negative asks the Affirmative questions, in order to expose logical flaws in the Affirmative's argument. 
|-
|Preparation time - Negative
|up to 4
|prep time (down time)
|The Negative prepares the attack against the Affirmative's case.
|-
| Negative Constructive (and first negative Rebuttal)
| 7
| NC (1NR)
| The Negative (almost always) reads a pre-written case and (almost always) moves on to address the Affirmative case.
|-
| Cross Examination
| 3
| CX
| The Affirmative asks the Negative questions.
|-
|Preparation Time - Affirmative
|up to 4
|prep time (down time)
|The Affirmative prepares the attack against the Negative's case. 
|-
| First Affirmative Rebuttal
| 4
| 1AR
| The Affirmative addresses both their opponent's case and their own. This speech is considered by many debaters to be the most difficult speech, as debaters must use 4 minutes to respond to a 7-minute speech, whereas the Negative has 6 minutes to respond to the 1AR of only 4 minutes.
|-
|Preparation time - negative
|The balance of Negative's prep time
|prep time
|The Negative prepares the attack against the Affirmative's case.
|-
| Negative Rebuttal
| 6
| NR (or 2NR)
| The Negative addresses the arguments of the previous speech and summarizes the round for the judge. New arguments and evidence are typically frowned upon because the affirmative only has 3 minutes to respond to this speech.
|-
|Preparation time - affirmative
|The balance of Affirmative's prep time
|prep time
|The Affirmative prepares the attack against the Negative's case. 
|-
| The Second Affirmative Rebuttal
| 3
| 2AR
| The Affirmative addresses the arguments of the previous speech and summarizes the round for the judge. No new arguments or evidence are allowed in the 2AR because the negative does not have another speech to answer these final arguments.

|}
Each debater gets thirteen minutes of total speaking time, and three minutes of question time. The rounds take approximately 45 minutes in total. Each debater receives four to five minutes of preparation time to use between speeches however they like. While the amount of prep time is at the tournament's discretion, the NSDA advocated three minutes until midway through the 2006–2007 season, when it decided on four.<ref name="Roberts NFL" /> Some tournaments, most notably the TOC, choose to give debaters 5 minutes. Some tournaments also allow the use of flex prep, which melds the cross-examination time and prep time together to create a 6-8 minute block that can be used for questions and/or prep. Asking cross-examination questions during prep time is generally accepted on the national circuit. Most speeches start with an order often called an "offtime roadmap" because it's given before the speech starts. The roadmap states which order the arguments and flows will be addressed in before the time starts (i.e. "The order will be Topicality, K, CP, DA, then case.").